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Star Trek The Next Generation: The Best of Both Worlds
The Enterprise arrives at the New Providence colony at the edge of Federation space in response to a distress call from the colony. Beaming down, the away team find that the entire colony has been removed and nothing remains except a crater, a situation which the crew had encountered previously when investigating the disappearance of outposts along the Romulan Neutral Zone. In response Starfleet sends Admiral Hanson from Starfleet Tactical, accompanied by Lt. Commander Shelby, a Federation tactician and expert on the Borg, to join the investigation. Shelby is found to be highly ambitious. After their introduction in Picard's ready room, Commander Riker escorts Shelby to her quarters. While in the turbolift, she remarks that she wants to show Captain Picard that she's "the right one for the job." Riker is puzzled and asks, "What job?" "Why, yours of course," she replies, explaining that she heard Riker was "leaving" for his own command. Shelby later embarrasses Riker at "Poker Night" when she calls his bluff, showing how aggressive she can be. The next morning when the away team assembles in the transporter room Shelby is absent. A review of the transporter log shows Shelby, acting without consent from Commander Riker, beamed down to the planet an hour earlier, along with Data. Shelby’s actions lead to a confrontation with Riker, to which she informs him "you’re in my way," alluding to both his attempts to reel her in on the mission, and possibly suggesting his being in the way of her assuming the role of First Officer on the Enterprise. Matters are complicated further for Riker when Picard informs him that he knew that Riker had actually turned down another command, for the third time, and echoed Admiral Hanson’s opinion that Riker was "hurting his career by staying put." This causes Riker to have a sit-down with Troi and re-evaluate his decisions. In the end Troi boils the situation down to one question: "What do you want Will Riker?" An electromagnetic signature, a "Borg footprint" as Riker called it, is found on the colony confirming that the colony was razed by a Borg cube. When Admiral Hanson, having returned to Starfleet to organize a defense, sends a message informing the Enterprise of a distress call from the USS Lalo, reporting that it had encountered a vessel described as "cube-shaped," Picard orders Data to set a course. Hanson informs them that they are sending every available starship but that the nearest help is at least a week away, to which Picard replies, "We'll try to keep them occupied until you arrive." En route to the Lalo's last known position the Enterprise encounters the Borg cube. Data's initial scan suggest that it is identical to the cube they encountered in system J25. The Borg demand that Captain Picard personally surrender himself to them, which the crew find unusual in that, with the Federation's current knowledge of the Borg, they are only interested in technology and not individuals. When Picard refuses to surrender the Borg grab the ship in a tractor beam and start cutting into the hull. Initially the Enterprise's weapons have no effect on the cube, but when Shelby suggests adjusting the ships phasers to a higher 'EM' band they are able to destroy the tractor beam. The Enterprise escapes and takes refuge in a sensor-blinding nebula to effect repairs. Picard reasons that while the Borg are looking for them "they won't hurt anyone else." In response to the Borg's perceived vulnerability to high EM bands Commander La Forge suggests modifying the main deflector dish to discharge a massive energy blast on the same EM band as that used to destroy the tractor beam. However before the crew can complete repairs the Borg begin firing "magnetometric-guided charges" into the nebula to flush them out. The Enterprise is forced to make a run for it, but the Borg overtake the ship and beam on to the bridge where they abduct Picard. The Cube then alters course for Sector 001: "the Terran system." In other words, Earth. The Enterprise gives chase, but the Borg are traveling at high warp, and the Enterprise, due to earlier damage, will be forced to disengage in only two hours and forty-three minutes. As La Forge completes the modifications to the deflector dish he points out that they will need every bit of power to make it work; so far, they're using everything they have just to keep up with the Borg. Riker proposes to lead an away team to the Borg cube in an attempt rescue the Captain and try to force the cube to drop out of warp. Shelby objects and Troi points out that as Captain, Riker's place is on the bridge. Reluctantly, Riker agrees and orders Shelby to take command of the away team. After beaming over, the away team starts a search. They spot unusual nodes which Data identifies as power waveguide conduits which the Borg seem to use to transfer power around the cube. Dr. Crusher suggests that to force the cube to stop they should look at the problem from "the mosquito's point of view," in that destroying enough of them might make the Borg "stop for a minute to scratch." Worf picks up Picard's communicator signal, but all they find is his empty uniform in a drawer. With time running out, the away team begins destroying all the power distribution nodes they can find. As predicted the disruption causes the Cube to drop out of warp however, in response, Borg drones start attacking the away team. Shelby signals the Enterprise for transport but just before the away team is beamed back Crusher spots Picard but they are horrified to see that he has been assimilated. When Worf tries to rescue the Captain he is repelled by a force field. Shelby orders the Enterprise to beam them back. Although unable to save Picard, the away teams actions have forced the Borg to drop to impulse, giving the Enterprise a chance to use their weapon. Shelby wants to go back and try to save Picard, but Riker overrules her, pointing out that this is their only chance to stop the Borg. LaForge reports that the Borg are effecting repairs and could return to warp at any moment. Riker asks if the weapon is ready, and Geordi confirms. Suddenly they are hailed by the Borg ship. Picard, now Locutus, appears on the viewscreen: "I am Locutus of Borg. Resistance is futile. Your life, as it has been, is over. From this time forward, you will service us." Faced with the prospect of losing his captain or risking the future of humanity, Riker gives the order: "Mr. Worf - Fire." Due to Picard's prior knowledge, La Forge's deflector weapon fails to damage the Borg cube, and Locutus in a mocking manner, informs the Enterprise of its failure: "The knowledge and experience of the human 'Picard' is part of us now. It has prepared us for all possible courses of action. Your resistance is hopeless, Number One." The Borg proceed on course to Earth but the Enterprise, due to damage to the warp drive, is forced to abandon pursuit. Riker informs Admiral Hanson of the situation and warns that the Borg know about the fleet being assembled to intercept them. Hanson field-promotes Riker to Captain and tells him the Enterprise is now his. Riker assures the Admiral that the Enterprise will be at the battle, "We may be a little late, but we'll be there." On the Borg cube, Picard is undergoing further assimilation. As a probe is inserted into his head a lone tear can be seen trickling down his cheek. On the Enterprise Riker receives word that Starfleet has engaged the Borg at Wolf 359. Hanson reports that "the fight does not go well" and the fleet is attempting to fall back. Communications are then cut off and all attempts to re-establish them fail. With repairs complete the Enterprise warps to Wolf 359. On arrival they find a graveyard of destroyed ships, including the USS Melbourne (which Riker had been offered command of but turned down). They detect a warp trail from the Cube, which is still heading for Earth, and set off in pursuit. When the crew catch up with Cube, Riker initially attempts to negotiate an end to hostilities but Locutus refuses. He then informs the Enterprise that if they attempt to intervene he will destroy them. To which Riker replies: "Then take your best shot Locutus, 'cause we are about to intervene!" He orders the separation of the saucer section, with Shelby in command, from the stardrive, as per a contingency plan discussed with Picard (and originally opposed by Riker). With Picard's knowledge of Federation starships, the Borg ignore the saucer section and focus on the stardrive section. Suddenly, however, the saucer section emits an anti-matter barrage against the Borg's electromagnetic shields, interfering with their sensors. While the battles rages Worf and Data use a shuttlecraft to penetrate the Borg cube's shields. Having located Locutus' position on the cube from Riker's earlier communication they beam aboard. They locate Locutus and, after a brief firefight with several drones, subdue and tranquilize him before beaming back to the shuttle and escaping. Once clear of the Borg electromagnetic field they are then transported back to the Enterprise just before the Borg destroy the shuttlecraft. Locutus assumes that this was a rescue attempt motivated by the crew's sentimental attachments to Picard and that it is tactically worthless, so he decides to remain on the Enterprise to represent the Borg while the cube proceeds to Earth. Dr. Crusher, however, sedates and restrains Locutus, and Data then establishes a neural link with him to gain access to the Borg's technologically telepathic "Collective Consciousness." The Enterprise, having reformed, races to Earth and confronts the Borg cube in high orbit above the planet. Data quickly exhausts various possibilities, noting with dismay that most of the important systems and command structures in the Borg collective mind are high security and unreachable. Out of options, Riker orders Wesley to ram the Borg cube at Warp speed. Just before engaging the engines, Data calls Riker tells him to stand by. 'Picard' has grabbed Data's arm, having somehow broken free of the Borg influence for the moment, and utters one word: Sleep. At first it is thought that Picard is extremely tired from the ordeal. Data, however, infers that Picard is giving him a clue to the Borg's vulnerability. It was a clue of what command to plant. Data informs the bridge that he has implanted an unprotected, low-level command into the Hive Mind, in effect fooling the self-repairing Borg into thinking they need to regenerate - "I put the Borg to sleep." Suddenly, the Borg ship goes offline, and their weapons and shields deactivate. However, the Borg's attempt to regenerate the undamaged cube creates severe feedback in its power systems, effectively turning the Borg ship into a massive bomb. The Enterprise flees the scene as the cube explodes in orbit over Earth. The episode ends with Riker, having been offered his own command for the third time in the episode, electing to remain as First Officer on board the flagship, Shelby leaving to help rebuild the destroyed fleet, and Picard staring out the window of his ready room, pondering the death and destruction that he helped the Borg to exact, a character thread that would continue into the next episode, "Family" and remain for the rest of the series.